Nalini is currently a guest professor and core scientist at the Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation (AI4EO) Future Lab (http://ai4eo.de) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where she leads the Ethics working Group. Prior to joining the AI4EO Future Lab, Nalini has been a senior research fellow with the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (2014-2018), and with the Chair for Business Ethics at the Technical University of Munich (2018-2019). She has also been a Program Director (2014-2017) and lecturer (2013-Present) at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), and an adjunct faculty at the EU Business School (2013-2014; 2018) and the Franklin Pierce Law Center (FPLC), University of New Hampshire, USA (2007-2008).
Nalini has over 17 years of experience in teaching and research in the field of business law, intellectual property (patent) law, plant variety protection, sustainable innovations (in agriculture) and business ethics. Her more recent multi-disciplinary research has focussed on legal issues and ethical opportunities offered by emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI. In 2019, as a senior consultant and lead author funded by the UK Global Challenges Research Fund, Nalini lead a multi-disciplinary international team to compile a position paper for the Government of India on how these technologies can help overcome market and regulatory failures to better incentivize sustainable innovations in the agricultural seed sector, while protecting agrobiodiversity, ensuring its sustainable use in downstream R&D, and promoting rural innovations and equitable benefit sharing.
After obtained her B.A. LL.B (Hons.) degree from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal, in 2003, & an LL.M. in Intellectual Property, Commerce & Technology from the University of New Hampshire, School of Law (UNH) in 2006, Nalini completed her Ph.D. at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich as a full scholar and fellow of the International Max Planck Research School for Competition and Innovation (2009-13). She has also served as a consultant to the International Technology Transfer Institute, FPLC (2008-2009). Her research for the National Human Rights Commission of India (2001, 2002, 2003) on health and human rights has also contributed to legislative debates in India.
Other expertise:
An active blogger and entrepreneur, in 2019, Nalini conceptualized a blockchain based start-up and brought together an international team to take the concept forward. Passionate about promoting mental health and well-being, particularly in University environments, in her free time, she teaches mindfulness, yoga, workplace wellness, and stress management seminars for school and University students, staff and academic researchers. Nalini is certified by all German State Health Insurances as a Präventionskursleiter, to teach the “Art of Living Happiness Program” (a wholesome well-being and stress management workshop) and is also a certified Hatha Yoga teacher since 2009.
Mrinalini Kochupillai’s list of publications is available here and her list of conference presentations and invited talks are available here